Corwyn O' Heachthighearna
Corwyn Ó Heachthighearna was Quark's character on Imperium. Backstory Corwyn Ó Heachthighearna ((Lit translation from Gaelic, Son of the horse-lord from beyond the hill who is a Friend of my Heart.)) was born a to a minor Celtic Heachthighearna( “horse lord” in English and Equite as the Romans would know them in Latin.) under the Arverni kingdom that inhabited what would today be southern France. Born in the City of Gergovia to a lordly family of minor standing he attempted to walk down the Path of the Druid to benefit his parents and because his inheritance from his family would be poor since he was the second son. His family was accepting of his role especially since he was born with red hair and green eyes the the latter signifying him as a man of learning and having innate magic which would prove helpful in the secret arts of the druids rituals. While under the tutelage of a Druid a little before his fifteenth year learning the ways of Celtic law and the appeasement of the gods he made a mistake in a ritual where he improperly sacrificed a bull to Ankou the Celtic Deity of death and the Underworld (technically more of a part of that cycle as Ankou is more akin to the modern grim reaper). This had him kicked out of the priesthood and he was forced to return to his families profession of warfare where he practiced the art of the sword and was lead by his older brother on raids against local kingdoms and the new Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis, taken from his people by the black haired South-landers. Sometime after he lived for seventeen years his family started suffering from a sickness killing his parents and younger sisters each of them dieing on Samhain, a day where the boundaries of this world and the other world where considered weakened. The local druid after observing the corpses and sacrificing one of the servants of the family declared that something happened in the past that cursed the family and it only took effect now because of the weakened border when the world dies to be cleansed in winters snow. The Druid asked the two remaining members of the Family Corwyn and his older brother any reasons they could think of for what could have layed the curse on him and Corwyn and his older brother could draw back to the time when Corwyn was kicked out of the Druids circle. The druid after privately questioning him why he was kicked out of the priesthood since the training of druids was considered secret under penalty of death; the Druid stated that Ankou was not sastisfied with just the punishment of Corwyn's exile of the order but demanded that Corwyn finish the Sacrifice. Specifically the Druid told him What was improperly given to me must be repaid by improperly taking from Ankou's enemies. The Spirit of the cow was not passed along its path in the great wheel and its soul has not inhabited the body of mortal man but instead is trapped here with me. offer mortal men to him in battle, an improper sacrifice, and your family will be spared for the time being. And since the sacrifice was improperly committed north of where we stand, this penance must be done in the south.” Corwyn took his inheritance and belongings and set out south joining a band of raiders set south to raid the Romans before the harvests could go to their capital. They looted many Roman villas and small farms before the local Legio attacked them and captured Corwyn whom was bound to be sold into slavery where a Honored Citizen would get the chance to own a red haired slave to bring him luck as Corwyn toiled under the whip of his new master. Ginger luck was on his side though as before he and the other slaves where to cross the mountains a raid occurred in which he was wounded and left for dead as he lie with a gash in his side in a shallow creek. He awoke to a Raven hopping on his back cawing at him and then as it noticed he was awake flying onto the banner of the Romans. The bird may have been telling him “Keel over already, I want to eat!” but Corwyn took It as a sign from Tethra, the Celtic goddess of deep water whom would fly over the battlefield in the guise of a Raven to take the souls of the dead to Ankou that he was meant to join the South-landers causing him to join the Legio Auxilia where he briefly served before Rome fell and he fled along with others of the auxiliary corps to the new Rome where he awaits to finish his assignment and become a citizen of the Empire and finally lift the curse he placed on his family.